


Worth Its Weight in Gold

by WinterStardustDragon (WinterFlameWingman)



Series: A Very Duelscord Christmas 2019 [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: A Very Duelscord Christmas 2019, Dark Side of Dimensions Spoiler, Denial of Seto Kaiba, Duelscord Secret Santa 2019, POV Kaiba Seto, Post-Dark Side Of Dimensions, Seto has amusing nicknames for the squad, Seto still doesn't believe in occult stuff, Spoilers for Yu-gi-oh DM
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 05:40:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21790966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterFlameWingman/pseuds/WinterStardustDragon
Summary: It's been a few years since Seto had seen Atem, alive or otherwise. So when Atem comes knocking, Seto has to wonder if he's who he actually says he is...
Relationships: Kaiba Seto & Yami Yuugi, Kaiba Seto/Yami Yugi if you squint
Series: A Very Duelscord Christmas 2019 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1579411
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Worth Its Weight in Gold

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas StellarChrondrite! I was your Secret Santa this year. I really hope you like your gift!

The knock on his bedroom door was the first thing that woke Seto up that morning. It wasn't Mokuba crawling up onto the bed- oh wait there he was, curled up between two pillows- like he usually was. This was an odd morning, even for them. 

Frowning, the CEO got up out of bed and slogged himself across the room. Absentmindedly as he passed, he pressed a button on the coffee maker and took a deep breath. Usually he would have been up by now, but a certain little monster gave him huge puppy eyes that he couldn't say no to. So had this been any other day, the stranger at the door would have been greeted by silence rather than an actual person. Grumbling and sighing to himself, Seto fixed his hair and opened the door- 

to see a fully alive Atem standing and staring at him with those violet eyes. 

Seto stood stunned for a moment before slamming the door in his face, prompting Mokuba to sit up and sputter out an unintelligible question. Turning, Seto walked back toward the bed with a huff. "Hologram is on the fritz again." he muttered. 

"Wait i'm actually here Seto!" Atem's voice filtered through the door, there was a slight panic in his voice that made the CEO pause in mid getting under his blanket. 

Grumbling, Seto flicked back the blanket and trudged back over to the door. He silently swore to himself, that was nowhere in the program... Which had to mean that no, the Atem hologram was not going haywire. Yes, he did slam the door in his best friends face- 

Friends? Seto paused as he put his hand on the door. What the Hell? Seto Kaiba did not have friends. Especially those with perfectly coiffed hair. Atem was not his friend and he was free to slam doors in his face however much he wanted- 

Apparently Seto had taken way too long to respond as 'Atem' knocked again. "I know you're angry with me, but I wanted to spend the day with you." 

A day? With him? The angry salty as the ocean Seto Kaiba? This had to be some kind of joke. "And why havent you spent today with the nerd herd?" He snapped instead, pretty done already with this impostor. Atem was dead. Yugi proved that when he put together the puzzle for the last time and everything went to Hell in a handbasket. 

The damn guy left twice without warning him and he still had the stupid pendant he used to reside in. He still had the thing hanging up on the wall in his office despite the Pharaoh poofing it to Obelisk knows where. But no. When he got home to sul- update his plans of revenge against Yugi he was greeted to the gold pendant laying on his desk, as if he hadn't brought it with him anywhere. 

That had been a surprise. Though he had reluctantly given half the puzzle to Muto after finding it, and that was the first and last nice thing he'd ever do for anyone except Mokuba. The look of pure hearted confusion quickly melting to glee was disgusting and Seto hated that he was the one that put that look there. Though he would never admit that he'd actually done the deed, nor would he that it actually felt kind of good for once... 

Someone hugging his leg made him look down to see Mokuba clinging to him and burying his face in the soft fabric. The poor kid was still tired. Sighing in defeat, he scooped Mokuba up and let him snuggle into his shirt. It was whatever, they were brothers, Mokuba wouldn't betray him like that. 

But that still left the problem in the hallway. 

"Just let him in and duel him big bro.." Mokuba mumbled sleepily, as if he didn't hear that there was a dead Pharaoh- that he watched go back to the otherworld no less- standing as if nothing had happened. Of course this happened every day _mo_ ** _kUBA_** \- Of course this was a normal _Tuesday_. Someone dead just showing up at your house alive and unscathed like nothing had happened! That he didn't go back to the great beyond or whateverthefu- 

The knocking came again and Seto wrenched the door open. "Just come in." he hissed to the startled 'Atem'. He watched as the man responded to his orders and looked around the room in awe. "You do realize he could be a cosplayer, right?" he asked quietly, so only Mokuba could hear him. 

"He was the only person you granted full access to our house without having you be notified." Mokuba deadpanned with a yawn before flopping his head against Seto's shoulder. 

Right.... _Why had he done that again?_ Wasn't it because he wanted to duel him at any point of the day...? Or _something_....?

"You have five minutes." Seto raised his voice to catch the dead Pharaoh's attention. 

'Atem' turned and gave him a questioning look. "Five minutes for what Seto?" 

"To prove that you're actually ' _Atem_ '." The CEO answered, mentally hoping that he looked as scary as he usually did despite having an elementary school student in his arms. "You didn't think you could just come back and have me _accept_ you are who you say you are, _did you_?" Seto frowned at the guilty look on 'Atem's face. He had to just assume that he could get off scott free by just showing up. "I'm **not** the dweeb patrol. I need more proof than just your word."

'Atem' sighed and played with his golden earring. It seemed like he was taking this seriously enough, by the way that he mentally chewed on that thought. Seto scanned him over and sighed internally as he realized that there were really some similarities between Yami, Yugi and Atem. If he just.... 

Mentally copied the picture in his mind and slid it over the now still form of 'Atem' and frowned. Except for the slight height difference, it was a match. Though now that he actually looked at Atem, there was a similarity in the way that they moved, regally but like a nerd. Sometimes looking like a baby deer walking with new legs for the first time but other times walking as if he'd just stepped out of a royal caravan.... Before tripping over thin air like a moron. 

"How about the time I almost went through with killing you because of recoil-" Atem started bluntly and paused when a steely blue eyed glare cut through the tension.

" _We do not talk about that_." Seto interrupted with a sharp snap. He ignored the playful glare he got in return and sighed. "Fine, I'll bite. I believe you're the real deal. But why did you come and see me before going to see your Geek squad?" 

Atem's sheepish look was back. "I did. For two days. Went to a thing called a... 'Beach' I still have no idea how something with so much sand could boarder water." He sighed and sauntered over to the makeshift kitchen before plopping himself down on the chair. Instantly, he crossed one leg over the other and leaned against the table with his hand under his chin. "What have you been doing?" 

"Working." Was Seto's dry answer before he walked over and tucked Mokuba back into bed. There was a soft little whine when he attempted to coax Mokuba's arms off of his neck, but when he did the younger Kaiba brother clung to the spare pillow beside him. Turning, Seto made his way back to the coffee pot and poured himself some. "Want any?" 

Violet eyes watched him carefully. "Of?" 

"Coffee." Seto responded shortly, making him a cup anyway. He could feel Atem's violet eyes boring into the side of his hand as he made another cup. It only broke for a moment when Seto opened the fridge to grab a creamer that Mokuba liked in his coffee on the days he wanted to emulate him. "Oh right. You wouldn't know what that is. Considering Muto never drinks the stuff." 

Before too long, Seto set the cup of almost white liquid infront of the Egyptian man before taking a seat across from him. It was amusing to watch the old soul stare it in curiosity, as if he expected it to come alive and eat his face off. _Though with his luck_ , Seto bitterly thought back, _that might have actually happened at one point._

Atem finally lifted the cup to his lips and took a drink before setting it back down. His gaze was unreadable, even to him. "They've grown up so much since the last time I...... _Saw_ them." Violet eyes glared down at the table. "Do you think they hate me? For leaving?" 

Seto sighed and shrugged. "I don't know what goes on in their minds Pharaoh." He started and took a drink of his own black concoction before speaking again. "You knew Yugi better than you knew yourself. You tell me what he would have thought." 

"He would have told me its for the best." Atem responded finally while looking through the window, "And that it wasn't my fault that I had to leave... Just like it wasn't my fault that I had to stay here in present Japan with you all..." 

There was a brief silence before both men put their coffee down on the table. Seto not knowing what to say and Atem just lost in the serene moment of peace. The CEO frowned as he watched the Pharaoh watch out the window, lost in thought for the moment. He had to wonder what went on in that head of his, it was Muto who understood Atem like the back of his hand.. Much like the reverse is and was true. 

Though thinking back now..... 

"Your hand, it hesitated." Seto finally spoke up, watching as Atem's head snapped around to meet his gaze. "Why?" 

Atem's mouth dropped open before he could utter, "Excuse me?" 

"You know what I meant." Seto leaned forward putting his elbows on the table, clasping his fingers like a bridge and resting his chin on them. "After the battle with Diva. You hesitated before touching the puzzle. Why?" 

The Pharaoh sighed and tapped on the rim of his cup. "I didn't want to leave everyone again.... I don't...... I don't want to say goodbye again." He admitted quietly. "I couldn't... But Yugi's gaze told me that it was okay to leave.... We didn't have to say goodbye again. We could have our memories mix with the old and the new... So its like we never were apart again..." Violet eyes stared into milky brown. "With the light... Comes the dark." 

"And to that I say _bull_." Seto interjected, snapping violet eyes back up to meet icey blue. "Flip off that future and tell it to kiss your-" 

" ** _Seto!_** " Atem hissed and covered the angry man's mouth. Violet eyes shot over to where Mokuba was still quietly sleeping, his form now spread out like vines. "Enough. What is done is done. I'm here now, there's no need to get angry." 

Violet and Blue eyes locked in an electrifying glare for a moment before Atem dropped his hands back to his sides. "If you want to get that riled up, lets have a duel or something." He grumbled and crossed his arms. 

"We could." Seto grumbled back, crossing his arms. "I have your old deck saved to my hard drives." 

Atem blinked dumbly and searched his blue gaze. "Why? Um- Why do you have my old decks?" 

Seto shot up and walked across the room to write Mokuba a short and sweet note. "I was running simulations to see if there was any possible way to beat you without cheating my own system." He carefully put the pen back down and walked out quickly. "Are you coming or not?" He hissed before turning to walk down the hall. "I'm leaving you!" 

Atem took a moment to chuckle before getting up and walking quickly after him, shaking his head he quietly turned to look back at the sleeping Mokuba before sending a small smile his way. He'd get more time to spend with the youngest Kaiba later in the day.. But for now he was safe in dream land. Gently closing the door, Atem followed after Seto, wondering just what decks he was talking about and how far technology had advanced since the last time he was in Japan. 

This..... Was definitely worth its weight in gold. 

  
~~~ Extended Ending~~~ 

Yawning, Mokuba sat up and looked around only to find Seto and Atem gone. Did... He dream that whole thing up? He stifled the urge to call out to his big bro and instead turned to the side table. There, like he hoped, was a note addressed to him. 

Mokuba, 

If I'm gone and you're not awake, i'm down dueling with Atem. We'll be back up in a few hours 

\- Seto

Smiling a bit, Mokuba flopped back down and smirked. Now how was he going to get them to confess their feelings...?


End file.
